Greetings from Singapore:)

By Jean Cheng

It's been awhile since I've wrote on this blog and I thought of updating a recent grace that God has poured into my heart. He remains actively close to me in my journey, since leaving Melbourne. :) Before that, however, I just wanted to say that I have been so happy and awed at what God is doing in STAY, and how a community has formed here. It is truly amazing to see how God has called the hearts of individuals together to share, empower each other other, and encourage each other in the hope and joy of God, that will never disappoint. May all of you continue to see and taste the truth that God-is-with-us as you look at each other journeying with you. =)

Yesterday, we celebrated the feast of Christ the King. Pondering on the passage last week, an image came to mind. It was based on the verse, "Today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23: 43). When I saw Jesus say these words to me, I saw him gently taking my hand as he said it, and leading me somewhere. Then the image stopped. I did not know where He was leading me, but I knew that He was leading me and I was not afraid. Instead, there was hope, anticipation, and excitement.

Before that, I was struggling with the possibility of my fiancé entering into the leadership team for his church young adult community. A part of me wanted him to because I believed that he has many gifts and the right heart to be in a position of servant-leadership. But a part of me did not want him to because I was afraid of what this would mean about our time together, especially as we prepared for marriage and a life together. These fears were compounded by the fact that I still am in the process of finding my place in his community, hence I worried I would be unable to support him by feeling with him the same ways that he felt about his community.

But last week, when I went for mass, I found myself unexpectedly praying to surrender all my expectations of what kind of husband he 'should' be, what kind of wife I 'should' be, what kind of married/family life we 'should' have, etc. In that prayer, there was pain and tears but there was also a deep peace, hope, and excitement. It was as if in that moment, I was dying to how I felt my future should be, and therefore allowing God to finally be in control, and surprise me with a better plan He has for us.

After surrendering and blessing Marcus to go wherever God calls Him, I was surprised that I was actually excited that he was nominated and elected as a leader. It's as if I finally died to my fears and surrendered my life into God's hands.

I do not know what this will mean for us and our married life. In fact, when I think of my future, I do not know how that will pan out. But somehow I feel as if because I do not know, I am free. Free from trying to make my life fit into one mould. Free to be surprised. The imagery was an affirmation from Jesus that my future is in His hands. He is the one leading me, and He is holding me. I do not see the path ahead of me, but there is excitement because I know who is leading me and with me through it all. Praise God. =)

Friends of Refugees - Moving Day 5

By Claire Dcunha

Humbling is probably the best word I could use to describe my experience on Moving Day. This was the first time I had ever participated in something like this so I didn’t know what to expect but I knew this is something I very much wanted to be involved in.  This desire to assist came about when Jack mentioned participating in Moving Day during one of the STAY meetings -  I'm glad I was able to make it to help out - what a rewarding experience it was!

I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who had previously participated and knew exactly what they were doing. My understanding was that this was the fifth time this was being carried out and what a massive effort it was from collecting donations, sorting them out and transporting them to refugee houses that really needed them. It was wonderful to see how people as a community freely volunteered their time to help people in need who they had never met. I was reminded of James 2:14-17 "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." How true this is!

The Company ‘Man with a Van’ donated a truck. We were also joined by Matt and Liam - 2 volunteers from the same company who did such great work helping out as there were quite a few locations to go to. Their patience and efficiency was nothing short of amazing!

We were able to go out to all the 8 houses on the list in a timely manner as Andrea and Nicole had worked on our route map – Regardless, it was still not an easy task as there were quite a few houses to visit in different suburbs. We were however, able to give a few items to each house which was really appreciated by the families. Among the donations were clothes, toys, cutlery and crockery, couches, beds, fridges, microwaves etc.  It was wonderful to see the smiles on people’s faces when they were given the donations. Finding the simple joys in the little things in life not taking anything that was offered to them for granted, I felt that some of the families were really appreciative of just us coming out to meet them and say hello as a few of them had come here by themselves and had left their families and all that they knew behind.

Among the houses we visited were three families, two of which were expecting their first child and one that had a baby aged 1 year and 20 days. We were able to give them some toys, clothes, cutlery and one of the families received a fridge. 

There were 2 other houses we visited and the people there really needed our help. In one of the houses lived 3 young men from Iran. When we met them we were greeted with smiles but we were surprised that they had absolutely no furniture, there were just empty rooms. It was like as if they moved in just a few days ago but they had been living there for 3 months.  It was really wonderful to be able to give them some jackets, shirts, pants, beds, couches, a microwave and a few other items. 

The last house we visited housed about 5 families but only had one bed room and bathroom and a lounge area. We were only able to meet 5 of the tenants who lived there. The only things I could see were a table to eat and shelves with a bit of cutlery. We were able to give them clothes, cutlery, couches among a few other items. I really wish we had more to give them as they really needed it but, as it was the last house there was not much we could do. One of the men at this property highlighted to me that this was the first sort of aid they had received since coming to Australia and all of them were really appreciative of the effort and hoped we could help them more.

I guess the part I found hard was when we had to say no to giving away some of the items to some refugees as we knew that there were other houses that needed it more and also not having enough to give. Donations clearly play a very large part in the whole process so it wouldn’t be right to close off without acknowledging all the donations that made it possible to give all these refugees a chance at having the basic life necessities that I know I take for granted like a bed, fridge and clothes.

A Test on Forgiveness

By Pat Pagulayan

Whoever said following God is a piece of cake must be hallucinating.

So far, my faith journey towards Him has been a rollercoaster ride. Probably the most exhilarating, nerve-wrecking, mind-blowing ride I have ever taken in my life, hands down! This journey has broken me and mended me over and over again. It has made me question myself, my family, and even God Himself. It has made me feel a myriad of things that I don’t even know that I am capable of feeling. It has brought me so much sadness and sorrow, as well as joy and peace, and I am loving every minute of it.

The last 24 hours has unexpectedly been a difficult one, for reasons that I am still trying to comprehend.

The day started beautifully with a confession wherein the priest prayed for three things for me: patience, humility, and charity. I guess I have underestimated how powerful prayers are. Little did I know that these three values are going to be put to test so soon, and I guess I was unprepared for it. But actually, I find that sometimes, it’s good to be unprepared, because the lessons learned penetrate deeper in an unprotected heart.

That test came with a grand entrance that I was so appalled that even now, I still find the turn of events unbelievable. I guess I have never been hurt by someone I consider a friend in such a short amount of time. I was so hurt that this same friend has put me in a situation wherein I have to make a very logical and drastic decision.

So I prayed and asked God for counsel to do what is right. And the answer I got is probably one of the hardest thing I had to do as of yet (well, I guess aside from overcoming my fear of confession).

“Forgive and give another chance.”

And so there I was just sitting, still in disbelief, and being my stubborn self, trying to argue.

I guess my “yes Lord” was actually we a “yes Lord, but…”

Ah, faith. To trust fully in God and His plans, ideally without question. But well, I’m still working on the questioning part. You see, God has given me an inquisitive mind that sometimes brings me more stress and hinders my trust in Him.

Eventually, a heartfelt “yes” finally came out of my mouth.

After that, I was expecting to sleep well and be in peace knowing that it is the right decision. But when I found myself awake, uneasy, and disturbed at 3am, I began questioning if it was really Him who’s telling me that, because since I’ve started going back to Him, one of the main issues I’ve had is not being able to discern His voice: is it really Him, or is it just my own head telling me those things? Or worse, is it coming from the devil? It has been a struggle for me and one of the most common thing I ask other people. I remember being told that when it comes from Him, you will feel at peace. I was like, where is the peace right now as I roll around the bed feeling so bothered and uneasy? As I discovered later on, it is different for everyone - a custom-made, personally modified, faith journey.

And so I woke up feeling very drained and decided to stick to my “logical” decision. I just felt so stressed, so tired, and emotionally drained, so I went to church early to pray.

And once again, that voice rung inside me head,

“Forgive and give another chance.”

Deep inside I know what I should do, but my mind finds it very difficult to do God’s will.

“How many times have I provided people to be there for you, even during the times when you didn’t think you needed a friend?”

I felt humbled. So humbled that I just started crying, thanking God for humbling me. If other people saw me, they would have thought I’ve lost my mind.

For He is right. During the times I was at my lowest, during those times when I felt alone, there were always people who were there for me. Some of them kept me sane, some of them listened, and there were the blessed few who brought me closer to Him. God has always provided me with a friend.

And how many times has God given me another chance when I have failed to do the right thing, when I have made a fool of myself, when I have hurt other people? Countless.

Forgiveness is not an easy thing to do, but with God’s grace, it is possible.

There is a thing called justice as well.

Even if wrongdoings have been forgiven and forgotten, does not mean there are no repercussions to those actions. Growth entails change, and change may require discipline. Tolerance of wrongdoings won’t help anyone grow to become better versions of ourselves. In saying so, I guess justice has to be delivered with compassion as well.

So I did what He told me: to forgive and give my friend another chance.

And then the most amazing thing happened. After doing what He asked me to, that was when I felt peace.

I felt happy. I felt light. At peace.

I guess sometimes you just have to jump without holding back to find what you were looking for. I guess that in my case, it’s not just saying “yes” to God that you experience peace, but rather, it is in doing His will that you get to experience peace after.

This has been a test of trust, doing His will, even when everything else seems to be pointing the other direction.

Ah, the beauty of faith. Trust Him and He’ll show you.

Refugees

By Nicole Chin

When we talk about refugees ,  people have different opinions. There are some who do not care, some who see occasions to help those in need, or (In most cases) negative views. I have to admit, I was one who did not support the refugee program, but as I got to know them, it changed my perception on refugees and that I needed to understand them first before I made any judgements.

First of all, who are refugees? They are people who fled their country because they suffer fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because they are a member of a persecuted 'social group' or because they are fleeing a war (Wikipedia 2013).

Let me share the plight of some of the refugees that I have met since I decided to  get involved in this outreach program

There was this man who came alone 5 years ago and today he is still locked up in the detention Centre hoping for his papers to be approved.  He was a Science teacher back in India, reasonably educated with an engineering degree.

There were other stories of men who were depressed and attempted suicide in the Detention Centre, many of the male refugees left their family and children in India.

I met a girl from Jordan who decided to take refuge in Australia from the Syrian war. Until this day even in Melbourne, she speaks about her constant nightmares or flashbacks of the war, fearing for her life. She is now on depression medication and finding it hard to settle down in Australia as her visa has restricted her from working. Before Australia, She was a flight attendant working for the Royal Jordanian Airlines.

I recently visited a mother with two little girls, who shared a family photo during one of the girls 9^th birthday, today she is 10 years old not knowing when she will see her dad again.

Refugees come for a better life.  If we look back, our parents, great grandparents who left their country of origin and made Australia home, they too came for a better life. Whether we come as refugees or as migrants, should we be treated differently?

They are our brothers and sisters in Christ; they are no different from us in God's eyes.

A Prayer for Refugees

Almighty and merciful God,
whose Son became a refugee
and had no place to call his own;
look with mercy on those who today
are fleeing from danger,
homeless and hungry.

Bless those who work to bring them relief;
inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts; 
and guide the nations of the world towards that day
when all will rejoice in your Kingdom of justice and of peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen.

Set Free Inner Healing Retreat

November 2-3, 2013

Celebrant: Fr. Elias Vella, OFM Malta

Initiative of the Institute for World Evangelisation - ICPE Mission

Once again, Fr. Elias Vella conducted a two-day inner healing retreat titled "Set Free". This was a concept started by Diana Mascarenhas, which aims to liberate us from bondage, inner conflicts and bring healing of memories.